An Eventful First Inning

If Milton Bradley can take his place in the outfield next inning, the A’s just might have a chance today.

With one out in the first inning and Mark Kotsay aboard with a walk, Bradley ripped a run-scoring double to deep left-center off Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman. The ball looked playable at first, but a right-to-left wind pushed it away from Curtis Granderson as the Detroit center fielder tried to run it down.

So, for only the third inning out of 28 in this series, Oakland had a lead. With Frank Thomas batting, Bradley got a great jump on an attempted steal. But Thomas fouled the pitch off, and Bradley pulled up lame about two-thirds of the way to third, having apparently developed a cramp in his right thigh.

Eric Chavez made it easy for Bradley to score, staying tough on a down-and-in slider and doubling down the first-base line, where a fan’s intervention made it an automatic ground-rule double. So it was a dream first inning for Oakland fans: two doubles, two runs, and a rally — finally — that resembled the A’s performances through the regular season.

Bradley, after some emergency treatment, took his position in the bottom half of the second, running to right field slowly and without a limp. Whether he has fully shaken that cramp, of course, could be another story.

This is an October day for the ages, by the way. It’s cold and windy, but that’s autumn in the East. There isn’t a cloud in the sky, and for those who remember day games in the World Series, sitting around the television set to watch games out of New York, St. Louis and Boston, it’s a time for sweet nostalgia. Unfortunately, with the 4:30 p.m. (Eastern) start, it won’t be long before the shadows take over.